If you are renovating the kitchen and you find the kitchen sink is worth re-purposing, you can try this project. I found the photo on the internet, but there were no step by step instructions. This will have to be left to you DIY-ers with handy skills. There are two schools of thought here. 1) You can make a mini sandbox for the kids with one side of the sink for sand and the other for water or toys…they’re imagination will take them. There should be hangers for pails and toys for easy clean up. The frame can be made our of old pallets, or scraps of lumber or a flea market table find that can be retrofitted. 2) Or you can turn it into a potting bench by day and a beer cooling station for backyard parties. Do not plug the sink, let the ice melt into buckets placed under the sink and replenish the ice as needed

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites, who and where they originate if the source is known.

JOKE OF THE DAY: My two goals today were to get out of bed and make coffee. So far I’m a success.

Upside Down Sweet Onion Cornbread
We all know and love a good upside cake for dessert – peach and pineapple being our favorites – but have you ever had a savory upside down “cake?” We realized a few weeks ago that you could apply the “upside down” concept to just about anything, so we started brainstorming and came up with the idea to make a delicious, upside down sweet onion cornbread. That’s right. Topped with sweet onions and filled with corn, cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions (and cottage cheese!), this upside cornbread is truly amazing. The bread has the perfect touch of sweetness, plus, it’s the best choice when you want a side dish that packs a little more punch than your typical cornbread, given all the fixings we threw in there. Seriously, you’ll be so glad you made this…our family devoured it and yours will too!Upside Down Sweet Onion Cornbread
1 HOUR TO PREPARE, SERVES 10-12

Preheat oven to 375º F.
Carefully slice your onions into rings, making sure to leave them intact.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat and arrange 5-7 large onion ring sections in the center and around the edge of the pan. This will be the top of your “cake.” Fill in empty section with smaller pieces of onion.
Sauté onions for 5-8 minutes, or until softened.
While onions cook, beat eggs into corn muffin mix in a large bowl, then stir in cottage cheese, 3/4 cup melted butter and sugar.
Once fully incorporated, fold in cheddar cheese, corn, bacon and green onions.
Pour (thick) batter over the sautéed onions in the skillet, then transfer skillet to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cornbread is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes.
Carefully invert cornbread cake onto serving platter.
Slice into wedges, serve with cream cheese (optional) and enjoy!

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites, who and where they originate if the source is known.

QUOTES OF THE DAY: – Credit: Warren Buffet “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
“It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”

SAD DAY IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY: Gene Wilder (Young Frankenstein, Willy Wonka and Blazing Saddles star) has passed away at age 83.

Found this on-line somewhere. This is a great idea for keeping stuffed toys coralled, kids can get in and out of the ‘ZOO’ easily and it can make a neat fort to play in. Depending on the age of the kids, I might not use ceramic animals to decorate the ZOO with.

I save these self-explanatory lifetime hacks for Sunday. This is a good idea for keeping little ones out of cabinets while making it easily accessible for adults. Purchase small dog collars on sale or at dollar stores and clip them between cabinet handles.

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites,who and where they originate if the source is known.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1996 Princess Diana and Charles, Prince of Wales, finalize their divorce after 4 years of separation.

Directions
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken (cooked or raw), Sausage, broth, green pepper, onion, celery, Cajun seasoning, garlic, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to prepared slow cooker.
Stir gently to combine all the ingredients.
Cook this portion on low for about 2 hours if your chicken is already cooked or 5 to 6 hours if you adding raw chicken.
Add shrimp and cook about another 10 minutes until the shrimp is warm.
You can serve this over cooked white rice or combine the rice in the crockpot just before serving.

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites, who and where they originate if the source is known.

JOKE OF THE DAY: So it’s okay for the cat to run away and hide under the bed when visitors turn up. But when I do it, I’m antisocial.

AUGUST 27 IS: National Burger day.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: If there hadn’t been an Elvis, there wouldn’t have been the Beatles – John Lennon 1965

Found this interesting article on Facebook. Looking back, we adopted a dog in 1975 and named her ‘Sam’. We were way ahead of our time with the whole ‘Post-gender’ naming thing.

Choosing a baby name can be tough, but if there’s one thing that all expectant parents have in common, it’s that they usually start the process by making two lists: One for girl names, and another one for boys. But according to a recent New York Times story, this may soon no longer be the case. “Post-gender”— a.k.a. unisex — baby names are officially on the rise.

In fact, parenting website Nameberry went so far as to call this the top trend in baby names for 2016. After analyzing the Social Security Administration’s baby name registry, their researchers found that there was a 60% rise in babies being given unisex names from 2005 to 2015. (For the purposes of the study, they defined a unisex name as one given to both sexes with at least a 35/65 ratio.)

“The old ‘Boy Named Sue’ idea of a boy being shamed by having a girl’s name is passing away,” Nameberry founder Pamela Redmond Satran told The New York Times. “Today, boys named Tatum feel as cool as girls named Rory, and vice versa.”

Why it’s bad: When meat is hot, the muscle fibers contract and disperse juice. If you cut into it right away, the juices wind up on the cutting board instead of inside the roast.

Do this instead: Let the meat rest after cooking so the muscles can relax and the juices redistribute (tent it with foil to prevent it from losing too much heat). For large roasts and whole chickens, wait at least 15 minutes before carving (a turkey needs closer to 30). Smaller cuts, like steak, need 5 to 10 minutes. Chops benefit from just a few minutes’ rest—about the amount of time it takes to get them from stove to table. And remember: When slicing steaks and roasts, make sure to cut against the grain. This will break up the ropy fibers, giving you a more tender piece of meat.

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites, who and where they originate if the source is known.

INTERESTING FACT: In George Washington’s days, there were no cameras. One’s image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are ‘limbs,’ therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, ‘Okay, but it’ll cost you an arm and a leg.’ (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint).

JOKE OF THE DAY: Given how often I have to pee and how cranky I get when I’m hungry, I’m confident that I would make the world’s worst hostage.

*Remove Price Tags And Stickers..
Have you ever spent more time than you’re willing to admit scratching away at a price tag, only to resign in frustration as its small sticky bits refuse to flake away? Reclaim your afternoon from scratching at stubborn stickers with your hair dryer. The heat from the forced air is just hot enough to slightly melt sticker adhesive, which loosens its bond to a surface.
Hold the hair dryer 3 to 4 inches away from the sticker and allow the air to blow across the sticker for 1 to 2 minutes. With your fingers, peel away the sticker.

*Custom Fit Plastic Frame Glasses..
Tired of sunglasses not fitting correct? Do your store bought reading glasses keep sliding down your nose?
Create a custom fit with your hair dryer. With the dryer set on “high,” point the air stream 1 to 2 inches away from its ends for 30 to 60 seconds.
The hot air will make the plastic moveable.
Simply mould them to fit your head, and within a matter of minutes you have custom fit glasses.

*Remove Wax From Carpet Or A Hard Surface..
When dry, candle wax is nearly impossible to remove from a surface. Simply this frustrating experience by heating the wax with your hair dryer. Once pliable, the wax can be removed by picking at it with a paper towel. On carpet, this process may need to be repeated several times for complete removal.

*Make Your Cake Or Cupcake Frosting Shine..
Tired of dull, lifeless cake frosting?
Add some shine to your confectionery treats by heating the applied frosting with your hair dryer.
Be careful not to over­heat the frosting, as this will cause it to melt.

*Blow Away Mirror Steam..
After a hot shower, bathroom mirrors always feature the aftermath of your relaxation ­ a thick coat of steam.
Instead of using a towel to remove steam, which leads to mirror streaking, reach for your hair dryer.
Turn your hair dryer on “High” and dry the mirror using circular movements. Within a few minutes, the steam will disappear and you’ll have full access to your post­-shower beauty.

*Remove Crayon Marks From Walls..
While you strive for a clean home, a child sees a blank wall as the largest canvas on Earth.
Remove your child’s Crayon masterpiece with your hair dryer.
On the “High” setting, place the hair dryer 1 inch away from Crayon marks. With a clean towel, remove marks by wiping in a circular motion as the hair dryer heats the colored wax.

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites, who and where they originate if the source is known.

JOKE OF THE DAY: People on ‘House Hunters’ are always saying they need room to entertain and guest bedrooms so family can visit. I need a moat with gators.

CONGRATULATIONS TO: Actor Jason Priestley, hockey great Darryl Sittler and filmmaker Deepa Mehta are among the latest inductees to Canada’s Walk of Fame.

It is midnight and my brain has shut down. I cannot think of one recipe, piece of decorating advice or DIY projects. Found this on Facebook tonight and gave it some thought on how to build this pencil bridge. This is a great use of office supplies. There are two possible solutions (maybe), 1. build your pencil bridge on a flat surface, interlocking the pencils as best you can and then stand it up. 2. Photoshop it.

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites, who and where they originate if the source is known.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: August is like the Sunday of summer.

JOKE OF THE DAY: Clothes that are too dirty for the closet but too clean for the laundry: Welcome to ‘the chair.’

THIS DAY IN SPORTS: 1989 – After gambling allegations surface Pete Rose is banned from Major League Baseball for life.

Tomato purée is a cooking essential you might be missing. Simpler and a bit thicker than its flavorful cousin, tomato sauce, tomato purée is a fast way to quickly prepare and freeze a bushel of fresh tomatoes for future cooking. Tomato purée can be turned into tomato sauce or tomato soup. It can be used to cook rice for a colorful side dish, or cooked with rice and seafood for a showstopping paella. Oh, and it’s a great base for homemade barbecue sauce.

All you need is a knife, a blender, and a little bit of time to stock your freezer with tomato purée to use year-round.

The Best Purée Tomatoes
Plum or Roma tomatoes are best for purée because they are generally grown for preserving. Paste, oven-dried tomatoes, and sauce are all made from these varieties — they are low in water content and rich in flavor. Tomato purée is a good use of bruised or imperfect tomatoes too, as you can cut away those areas and chop the rest of the tomato.

Halve the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds first. Puréeing them with the rest of the tomatoes can make the purée bitter. Personally, I don’t peel the tomatoes for purée — the quick cook makes them quite supple, and they blend well with the rest of the tomato. If you’d prefer to make a skinless purée, peel the whole tomatoes with a sharp serrated peeler before halving and coring the tomatoes.

Blend or Purée
Many preserving purists insist that a food mill is the best tool for making tomato purée, but an immersion blender, food processor, or standard blender will make quick work of puréeing the tomatoes too. If you’re working with an immersion blender, feel free to stick it right into the pot to purée. For a food processor or stand blender, let the cooked tomatoes cool for about 10 minutes before blending. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to work in batches.

Storage
You can use fresh tomato purée right away, or you can freeze it for long-term storage. Feel free to use your favorite freezer-friendly storage method, but I prefer zip-top freezer bags, as they freeze flat (taking up less space) and thaw quickly. Freeze the purée in eight- or 15-ounce increments — that’s the amount required for most recipes. Label the bags and store in the freezer for up to six months.

SHARING: I do not claim all posts to be my own…I post the sites they are from if the source is known.

JOKE OF THE DAY: If I died and went straight to hell, it would take me at least a week to realize I wasn’t at work anymore. Have a Happy Monday.